Everything Means Something
by EmmaJay64
Summary: Gilbert's just a normal kid - or as normal as an albino, slightly nutty kid can be - but his life takes a turn for the crazy when he meets Eli, the new boy in school. But is Eli everything he says he is? And is he hiding something from Gilbert? Sorry for the awful summary, hope you like it! Frying Pangle, not a romance yet.
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, this is a new fic I'm working on... feedback, danke!**_

"Gilbert! We have to leave!"

I snorted, yanking on my shirt and pants. My pajamas were of course thrown in a heap on the floor, along with a bunch of other junk. I grabbed my backpack. I had bought new crayons and I couldn't wait to try them out. But there was no way in heck I was looking forward to my first day of second grade. Nobody was as cool as me anyway. I glanced in the mirror quickly, running a hand through my silver hair so that it stuck up. My red eyes looked really great against my pale skin. What was it called again? Oh yeah. Albinism, or something.

"Gilbert! NOW!"

My mom sounded impatient. I glanced over at where my pet canary was sleeping in its cage, which was surrounded by all my comics.

"Bye, Gilbird." I mumbled. The yellow bird fluttered off its perch, pecking at the newspaper. I smirked, not looking away as I backed out of the room. "Whoa!" I yelled, my skateboard sliding underneath me. I quickly flipped myself, pushing the wheels to go faster as I sped down the hallway. At the stairs, I kicked it behind me and ran down them as fast as I could. The carpet burned my feet as I dashed towards the front door.

My mother was standing there, arms folded. A frown was definitely visible on her pale face. My little brother Ludwig looked up from where he was trying – and failing – to tie his shoes. I snickered and he looked reproachfully back at me. As I opened my mouth to say something, my mother cleared her throat. I gulped.

"Hi, mom." I tried a smile. She raised an eyebrow at me. "Gilbert, it's your first day. We have to be there on time." She said. I could tell she was angry at me. I shuffled my feet, staring at the floor. She looked down. "Gilbert Beilschmidt, where are your socks?!"

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up at the elementary school. Ludwig, who was normally pretty quiet, was absolutely silent as was drove. He was starting kindergarten though, so I guess I couldn't blame him. "Now, boys, I want you both to try hard and have a good time." I sighed, slumping in my seat. Ludwig nodded. I could tell how nervous he was. Mom turned around in her seat to look at both of us. "Be good. Especially you, Gilbert." She said. I shrugged, but Ludwig looked like he was about to cry. I breathed in deeply. "Okay, mom. We will try." Her smile widened, and she got out.

As soon as we were both out of the car, my mom grabbed our hands. "Mommm!" I groaned, but she only smiled at me. Ludwig peeked around her legs to look up at me anxiously. "You'll be fine," I grinned, reaching over and poking his cheek. "C'mon, smile." I said. He did, and I grinned back. Mom tugged on our hands. "Time to go, boys."

Once we were inside the entranceway, my mom gave us both a hug and a kiss. "Ew, mom!" I yelled, but Ludwig just clung around her neck. "I'll miss you, mommy." He mumbled. She gave him one last kiss, then let us both go. Ludwig stared after her, but I turned around to look for my friends. Namely, a couple of guys who were heading towards us. "Gil!" I grinned widely. Matthias and Antonio and I had known each other since kindergarten, and they were great.

They stopped short beside me. Matthias was almost a foot taller than me, but Antonio was even shorter. We all bro-fisted and Matthias laughed. "Lookin' good, Gil!" He pointed to my t-shirt. To my horror, I realized I was wearing a shirt my grandma had got me, the one with the words "Cutie pie!" scrawled across the front on pink writing. "Why would you wear that?" Antonio asked, tilting his head to the side. His dark brown hair just brushed his shoulders. "Because – because it's cool!" I told him, crossing my arms over my front.

Matthias grinned, then looked beside me. "Who's this?" He asked. I had completely forgotten about Ludwig, and his class started in two minutes. "Poop!" I yelled, grabbing his arm and sprinting with him down the hall. I could hear my best friends cracking up behind me. "His name's poop?" Matthias yelled.

We burst into his classroom with one minute to spare. I felt huge next to the tiny chairs of the little kids, but Ludwig shrank behind me. "I am not sure about this," He said in a measured voice. I looked down at his blond head and blue eyes. "You'll be fine." I told him again. He shook his head. "Really?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah, really really." He smiled his sweet shy smile, and I grinned and shook my head. "Have fun!"

Now I really needed to get to class. I sprinted back down the hall, groaning when I realized my friends were nowhere in sight. I had forgotten to ask anyone where class 2B was and it was five minutes to go until the start of the day. I looked around helplessly, ready to yell. Suddenly, the door to the office opened and I heard an unfamiliar woman's voice.

"Sorry we registered so late. Glad we know where Eli's going! Right, Ells?" I peeked in through the door. A woman with long, red hair was holding the handle. She was talking to the secretary, but she had just asked a question to the tall kid beside her. He had shortish brown hair and green eyes, kind of like Antonio's, and he stuck his tongue out when he saw me. I blanched, pulling back and hiding behind the door again.

"Eli?" The woman, who I now guessed to be the guy's mom, asked. He turned away from me, answering with a short nod. The secretary beamed, shuffling his papers. "Great! You're in 2B, right? I show you the room." My eyes widened. Thank god! That was my class! Now if I could just follow them…


	2. Chapter 2

As the secretary led the boy down a hallway, I ducked into alcove after alcove, hiding from them. Every so often the kid would turn around, frowning. I was in no mood to face him though. He seemed pretty tough.

The secretary finally pointed up ahead to a classroom, and I took my chance. I sprinted past them and through the door, sliding into a seat next to Antonio in record time. "Hey, man, where were you?" He whispered. I shook my head and he smiled, shrugging.

"How's Poop?" His green eyes twinkled and I laughed. "He's called Ludwig, you dolt." As we cracked up, the door to the classroom opened and the tall boy stepped in. He stared at us, nervous. I grinned and nudged Antonio. "That guy's new." He tilted his head again. "Cool."

The guy stood at the front of the class, staring at the floor. Everyone was staring, and I almost felt bad for him. Then he looked up, spotted me, and stuck out his tongue again. This time, when I did the same, he grinned. I frowned. Why would he smile at me? But he did.

I shrugged and let my lips stretch into an even wider smile. He flipped his longish bangs out of his eyes and tugged the bottom of his t-shirt. I suddenly remembered the monstrosity of a shirt I was wearing. My face flamed. So that was why he was smiling. I scowled and looked back at my desk.

Soon enough, the teacher, Ms Bella, walked in. I looked at her blonde hair and green eyes as she welcomed us to the class. She was really pretty. I sighed. Antonio poked me in the side, smiling. "Gilbert and the teacher, sittin' in a tree – " he whispered. I kicked him under the table.

"Boys!" Our teacher chastised us. I blushed, trying to look innocent. The class snickered, but our teacher was turning to the tall guy next to her. Even though she was really old, like maybe thirty, he nearly reached her shoulder. I thought he was about the same height as Matthias.

Ms Bella cleared her throat. "Class, this is… um, what did you say you liked to be called?" He smiled at all of us, eyes twinkling. "Eli." He said. I suddenly realized it was the first time I'd heard him talk. His voice was a little higher than I expected, but surprisingly nice. Then I jumped. "Wait, Ellie? That's a girl's name!" I yelled.

The class erupted into laughter. Eli stood his ground. "It's not!" He protested, waving his arms. "It's short for Elliot!"

Our teacher blinked. "Okay, kids. Settle down!"

Our laughter finally subsided. The teacher glared at me. "Gilbert, can I talk to you after class?" I nodded meekly, then turned to Antonio when she looked away. "Looks like I got a date!" Icrowed. He hit me in the arm. "Ow!" I yelled, and Ms Bella turned to me again, frowning. "Gilbert, this is your last warning."

I got a lot of warnings that day. Mom was not going to be happy.

At lunch, Antonio and I followed the rest of the crowd to the cafeteria. There were a bunch of long tables scattered around the room, and most of them were full. I spotted Ludwig in a corner with a short Asian kid. He looked just as quiet as my brother, and I grinned, ready to go over there. But Antonio grabbed my arm and pulled me towards an empty table near the front of the huge room.

I spotted Eli nearby with a dude with brown hair and glasses. I remembered him from class as Roderich Edelstein. He acted just like a girl during science, not touching anything and making his partner do all the work. I smirked. What a sissy.

As we sat down, Matthias, who was in a different class from us, came over to sit with us. "Wow, guys. Who's the new kid?" He asked, eyes wide as his grin. I shrugged, pretending not to understand him. Antonio did the same. I stuck out my tongue at Matthias as I unzipped my lunchbox.

I made a face when I saw that mom had packed a peanut butter sandwich. "I hate peanut butter!" I moaned. Antonio glanced at the offending item. "Trade you?" He offered, holding out his own tortilla sandwich. Antonio's family was Spanish, and he always had the best food. I grinned and we switched lunches. Matthias coughed. "Hello?"

I looked up. He was pointing at Eli. Antonio looked at me and we snickered.

"Oh, _him,_" I said, faking surprise. Antonio chuckled. "That's Eli."

Matthias stared at us. "Ellie? Like a girl?" His voice was confused.

We smirked. "Yep."

Matthias looked dumbfounded for a couple of seconds. Then he stood up, his tall frame shadowing Antonio and me. He looked down at us, grinning, and suddenly I knew what was coming next.

"Uh-oh," Antonio sighed, before I dragged him to his feet along with me. Matthias looked at me, his eyebrows raised. "On the count of three," He whispered. I nodded, pushing my silvery hair out of my eyes.

"One," Matthias shouted.

"Two," I screamed,"

"Three." Antonio said half-heartedly. We glared at him for a second. Then -

"HEY, ELLIE!" We yelled in unison. Antonio looked around nervously as a group of fifth graders stared at us. He put on his most winning smile as Matthias and I stared at Eli. He pretended not to hear us, his back turned. His hair just brushed his collar and I noticed a band-aid on his elbow.

"Smelly Ellie," I called. Matthias looked at me, his sticky-up hair bobbing.

"Smelly Ellie?" He said, disbelieving. I nodded vigorously. Antonio chuckled.

"It rhymes!" He cried. We now had the lunchroom's full attention. People were staring. Eli's ears had gone red, but he kept chatting animatedly to the guy with glasses. That annoyed me for some reason, so I walked over towards them.

"Hey, Smelly Ellie," I smirked. He didn't reply, so I shrugged and turned to Roderich.

"What's up, sissy?" He glared at me. I laughed.

"Not gonna say anything, loser?" He stood up, and I saw that his hands were shaking. "Scared?" I asked in mock sympathy.

Roderich stared at me. "I think you should go." He said, his pompous voice no louder than a whisper.

I cracked up, doubling over. This guy was too much. I gestured at him, turning back to glance at Antonio and Matthias, who were both looking uncomfortable. Suddenly, Antonio's eyes widened. "Gil!" He was pointing right over my shoulder. Before I had time to see what it was, a long, slender and awfully hard fist had hit me right in the stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oof!" I gasped, doubling over. I lifted my eyes to see who had hit me. Of course. I smiled weakly.

"Hi, Smelly Ell – " _Wham! _Eli's fist made contact with my shoulder.

"You poop! You can't just pick on him!" He yelled. Each word was interjected by another punch. Eli's face was full of rage, his features contorted in anger. I narrowed my eyes, winding up. I thrust my fist towards him, aiming for the stomach, but he caught my arm and flipped me onto the hard cafeteria floor. My vision swam.

"Now how do you like it, Gilblegh?" He asked, his voice mocking me. He was leaning over, hands on hips. His baggy green shirt looked even more huge in comparison to how thin I could see he was. I struggled to get up, but Antonio and Matthias were behind me, pulling me up.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted Ludwig slump into his seat. Poor him, embarrassed by his big brother already.

Eli stood in front me, arms crossed. "You are _so _not awesome, Gil_blegh_ Beil_spit." _He smirked. I couldn't believe he'd just sworn at me.

"This means war, Smelly Ellie Heder_farty_." It wasn't very original, but it was all I could think of.

He raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Just what I – " Before he could finish the threat, someone interrupted us.

"Boys? Please follow me to the office." I turned around. It was Ms Bella, and she did not look happy. Eli's eyes widened, pulling his face into an expression of innocence.

"Oh no, Ms Bella! We were just playing." Eli turned and grinned at me. "Friends?" He offered. I gaped. After all that, this guy wanted to be friends?

I shrugged and matched his smile. "Sure." I said, as if it didn't really matter. He winked, turning back to the teacher. We both smiled angelically.

Ms Bella stared at the five of us. Roderich's legs had given way, and Matthias and Antonio were backing away slowly. The rest of the room was carefully ignoring us. Eli and I stood, facing Ms Bella with our hands on hips. I had to admire the guy. It took guts to do this, and until now, I'd been the only one brave enough to do it. Matthias was brash and crazy, but he was also a coward. He always ran when danger showed up. Maybe Eli was a better choice of friend after all…

Ms Bella pulled me out of my thoughts. "Whatever you say, you still caused a scene." She snapped, all her sweetness gone.

Eli's face fell, and I felt the same. Mom was going to _strangle_ me.

"Principal's office. Now." She practically growled. Eli grinned ruefully at Roderich, who looked sympathetic, and I waved at my friends. They still looked nervous, and I shook my head. _Thanks, guys._

Eli smiled at me. "At least it's us, yeah?" He said. I decided I liked his voice.

"Yeah. Very… awe…suss?" I tried out the word he'd used earlier. I had never heard of it before. As we followed Ms Bella out of the room, my lunchbox and Eli's left abandoned on our tables, the brown-haired boy laughed.

"The word is awesome. It means, y'know, great." He explained, and he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I just nodded. It sounded like a good word.

As we neared the door to the now-familiar office, Eli turned to me. "I was here this morning." He whispered. I laughed.

"I know, I saw you." His green eyes widened. "That was you?" I just laughed harder, gesturing to my odd eyes and hair.

Realization dawned in Eli's face. "Oh, yeah. How come you look like that, anyway?" He asked me. I started to say, "Albinism," but Ms Bella interrupted.

"You two! Wait here." She pointed to the two chairs by the door to the principal's office, which was at the back of the school office. I made a face. These particular chairs were famed for having every bad kid in the history of the school sitting in them. Eli plopped down, and I followed suit.

Ms Bella shook her head at us. "You boys had better get your act together quickly." We nodded, acting innocent again. Our teacher sighed, her face softening. She smiled briefly, and then left.

I sat and kicked my feet on the polished floor. The office was as haphazard as the rest of the school. Papers were filed everywhere, and the secretary's desk was piled high with folders and note paper. One light blinked, and the door to the principal's office was hanging on its hinges.

Eli and I didn't talk, but instead tried to make the worst face at each other. Just as I was puffing up my cheeks, pushing up my nose and crossing my eyes, I heard a cough from behind. "And just what are you doing?" I looked straight up into the face of the principal. His brown curly hair framed a tanned face and crinkly brown eyes. He looked pretty nice. Apart from the fact that he was frowning at the two of us with a very serious expression.

Talking to Mr Vargas didn't take forever though, and soon enough Eli and I left with the promise of a call home if it happened again. As we headed back to class, my new friend stuck his tongue out.

"That was cool," He chuckled. I raised an eyebrow. "C'mon," He laughed at me. "Where's your sense of awesomeness?" He asked. I smiled slowly back at him. He grabbed my arm and together we ran back to the classroom. It was pretty awesome.


End file.
